This invention relates to a brake apparatus, and more particularly to a combination service brake and parking and emergency brake.
In a vehicle including a service brake, wherein a rotating disc is operatively associated with the vehicle drive system, friction material is brought into engagement with the disc to retard rotational movement of the disc and to brake the vehicle. Such known arrangements become more complicated when, for reasons of economy, attempts are made to integrate a combination parking and emergency brake into the service brake. For example, one integrated arrangement of such different brakes is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,085 issued Nov. 6, 1973 to E. R. Cottingham.
Unfortunately, there is not always sufficient room for a completely encircling service brake and parking and emergency brake so that another problem resides in generally axially aligning these two brakes somewhere about the periphery of the disc. Along with this, is the recognized need to apply substantially only axial forces to the various elements so that any tendency to cock them during application of either brake is minimized.
In addition to the aforementioned problems of cost, compactness and alignment of the two forms of brakes, there is a continual need to extend the service life of, and to extend service access to, the braking members. Particularly, it is desirable to provide convenient and effective access for replacement of the friction material which is preferably common to both brakes.